


Pick-Up Spare

by QueenTrashbag



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, As is tradition, Konoha Is A Bro, M/M, Multi, So is Kuroo, owl puns, they go bowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:44:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenTrashbag/pseuds/QueenTrashbag
Summary: “Oh my god,” Konoha roared out, “That’s a seven-ten split,”“Is that special?” Keiji asked, waiting for his ball to return.“Special? It’s one of the toughest spare to pick up,” Kuroo interjected.“So, what should I do?” Keiji demanded.“Honestly, just aim for one pin, and hope for a better spare next time,” Konoha shrugged.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke - Implied, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 1
Kudos: 60





	Pick-Up Spare

_Call from Konoha Akinori_

“Yo Akaashi,” Konoha greeted.

“Hello Konoha-san, may I ask why you are calling?” Akaashi Keiji asked, shifting comfortably on his couch.

“Ah, well, so are you busy tonight?” Konoha sounded almost nervous.

“Well I was going to re-watch _Heavenly Forest_ tonight,” Keiji murmured.

Konoha let out an exasperated sigh.

“What?” Keiji asked.

“It’s just, you always do this,” Konoha sighed.

“Do what?” Keiji hesitated.

“ _This,_ every time some ass-hat breaks your heart, you hold up in your apartment watching romantic comedies, crying, all while wondering where you went wrong,” Konoha gave his worried reply, “Don’t do this to yourself Akaashi,”

“I don’t….” Keiji tried to defend himself, “Look, Miyazaki Aoi is just a really good actress,”

“Akaashi,”

“Fine, what do you think I should be doing instead?” Keiji grumbled in defeat.

“Well, instead of throwing yourself a pity party, you should go bowling with me,” Konoha declared.

“Bowling?” Keiji asked slightly dumbfounded.

“It’ll be fun, I promise!” Konoha declared.

“Wait, I thought you were in the middle of a bowling tournament?” Keiji queried.

“That’s mainly why I was calling, you see Yamamoto caught the flu and I kind of need a replacement,” Konoha chuckled nervously.

Keiji gasped in faux surprise, “So you’re using me? You are a terrible friend,”

“Sorry, but I need your awesome bowling skills,” Konoha laughed.

“’My awesome bowling skills’? Konoha-san, I played volleyball,” Keiji’s lips began to curl upward.

“Exactly, which means you will have fantastic accuracy,” Konoha tried to explain his logic.

“Am I _allowed_ to set a bowling ball?” Keiji joked.

“I do not believe that is how you are supposed to bowl, no,” Konoha answered.

“Darn,” Keiji grinned.

“So, are you coming or not?” Konoha asked.

“Yes, I think I will,” Keiji nodded.

“Good, because I’m here,”

“What?” Keiji asked dumbfounded.

“Knock knock, open up,” two knocks followed.

“What?” Keiji asked again, before hanging up his phone and walking to his front door, “I cannot believe you did that,” he greeted his friend. 

“I can’t believe you wear own fuzzy owl slippers,” Konoha pointed to Keiji’s feet.

Keiji glanced down, the large eyes stared back at him, and flushed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Much to Keiji’s surprise, the team playing against Konoha’s was a lot younger than he had expected. Like, his age younger.

“Surprised?” Konoha asked, coming up behind Keiji.

“A little, I was expecting people my parent’s age,” Keiji turned towards him.

“That’s rude,” Konoha gave a dry reply.

Keiji shrugged unapologetically; to which, Konoha playful rolled his eyes and walked to a lane full of people. Keiji, followed.

“Hey guys, this is Akaashi,” Konoha gestured to the other man, “He’s going to be filling in for Yamamoto,”

“It’s nice to meet you; I’ll do my best,” Keiji bowed.

“No worries, this is mostly for fun anyway,” a short man with cropped sandy hair smiled, “I’m Yaku Morisuke by the way,”

“Akaashi Keiji; I thought this was a tournament,” Keiji looked around his newly acquired team.

“Oh, it is, but to tell you the truth, we all suck,” Yaku retorted bluntly.

“I’m sorry?” Keiji choked.

“Yeah, none of us really have any skill,” Yaku laughed, “My highest scoring game is 97,”

“Is that good?” Keiji was genuinely curious.

“A perfect game is 300, so no, not really,” Yaku smirked.

“Oh, well, I’m sure you will score higher this game, Yaku-san,” Keiji gave a polite smile.

“If Yaku-san tried, we could get the gutter gates pulled up,” a voice, from the lane next to Keiji’s, piped up.

“We’ve been through this,” Yaku sighed, unamused.

“Excuse me?” Keiji turned towards the voice.

A six-foot-something tall man leaned over his chair, having his long arms dangle over the back of it. The glint in his emerald green eyes matched his mischievous grin, “But Yaku-san, you would be at a great advantage, given your height,”

“Lev, don’t make me come over there,” Yaku gave a warning much like a mother warned her misbehaving child. 

“What have I told you about messing with Yakkun?” Another tall man with messy black hair came up beside the other man, who Keiji guessed was, Lev.

“That I would be castrated,” Lev visibly deflated.

“So that means you should…?” The man trailed off.

“Behave,” Lev truly was like a child getting scolded.

The man gave Yaku a smirk as Yaku rolled his eyes, “I’m going to find a ball,” the shorter man left.

“Yaku-san,” Lev looked like a sad, six-foot kitten, “Kuroo-san, why did you embarrass me in front of Yaku-san?”

“ _I_ embarrassed you? You straight up insulted the guy, you know his height is a taboo subject,” Kuroo lightly hit Lev on the head.

“Ow! But Kuroo-san –,”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s how you flirt,” Kuroo shook his head.

“Maybe you could compliment him,” Keiji inserted.

“Wha –?” Lev seemed to just notice Keiji.

“Ha! He’s got a point Lev,” Kuroo laughed, “I’m Kuroo Testurou,”

“Akaashi Keiji, I’m filling in for Yamamoto,”

“Gotcha, you should go let Bokuto know, he’s our score keeper,” Kuroo instructed.

“Okay, will do; um… who is he?” Keiji looked around.

“That guy over there,” Kuroo pointed.

“With the crazy owl hair,” Lev clarified.

“’Crazy owl hair’?” Keiji spotted a man with black and white dyed hair. 

It was pointy and styled at an angle; almost like he was trying to go Super-Saiyan.

“Bokuto-san?” Keiji came up to the Owl-Man.

“Huh? Oh uh, hey,” He looked up; even his eyes looked like an owls.

“Hello, I’m Akaashi Keiji, I’ll be filling in for Yamamoto,” Keiji introduced himself.

“Oh for real? What happened to him?” Bokuto questioned.

“Yes; he caught the flu,” Keiji explained.

“Bummer,” Bokuto commented.

“Indeed,” Keiji nodded.

There was a moment of awkward silence. The two just looked at each other slightly uncomfortably before Keiji broke the silence, “Right, so, I’m going to go find a ball, nice to meet you,”

“Nice to meet you too, _owl_ see you later,” Bokuto smiled.

Keiji flushed before turning away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Strike_

“Hell yeah!” Kuroo shouted, “That’s a double! I’m so talented!” He continued to cheer, as he got high fives from his teammates.

“You’re on fire tonight, Kuroo-san,” Lev cheered.

“Damn right, you’re gonna have to step your game up kid,” Kuroo ruffled Lev’s hair before sitting down.

Yaku rose to grab his ball, and waited for Bokuto to give him the okay to bowl. Yaku took his time before he released the ball down the lane.

_Smash_

“Nice!” Yaku had taken out six pins on the right.

“Yaku-san! Yaku-san!” Lev shouted waving his lanky arms back-and-forth to get the attention of the shorter man.

“Yeah?” Yaku walked back to ball return.

“If you pick up that spare, I’ll buy you dinner,” Lev wagered, enthusiastically.

“And if I don’t?” Yaku propped his ball upon his shoulder, amused.

“Um…you can buy me dinner!” Lev decided.

“Hmm,” Yaku contemplated, “No deal,”

He hit the remaining four pins.

“Nice Yakkun!” Bokuto high-fived him.

“Good job,” Keiji said, once Yaku sat back down.

“Thanks, I didn’t think I would pick up that spare,” Yaku laughed.

“If you made that deal with Lev-san, then you would have had a free dinner,” Keiji pointed out.

“Hmm true, but then I would have to have dinner with Lev,” Yaku picked up his drink.

“Ah yes, that would be unfortunate,” Keiji contemplated in a joking manner.

Yaku spat out his drink, laughing.

“Yo!” Konoha interjected.

“Yes Konoha-san?” Keiji asked.

“Your turn man,” Konoha notified.

“Thank you Konoha-san,” Keiji stood and went to retrieve his ball.

Keiji took a calm breath before walking up to the lane and releasing the ball straight down the middle. Keiji took out eight pins, only leaving the 7th and 10th pin.

“Oh my god,” Konoha roared out, “That’s a seven-ten split,”

“Is that special?” Keiji asked, waiting for his ball to return.

“Special? It’s one of the toughest spare to pick up,” Kuroo interjected.

“How _do_ you pick it up?” Keiji asked.

“Basically? You have to hit one of the pins at the right angle, at the right speed, and have it fly out and hit the other pin,” Kuroo explained.

“That sounds incredibly difficult,” Keiji picked up his ball.

“Believe me; it is,” Kuroo sighed.

“So, what should I do?” Keiji demanded.

“Honestly, just aim for one pin, and hope for a better spare next time,” Konoha shrugged.

“I see, thank you for the advice,” Keiji responded before turning around.

He took a breath and released the ball, aiming for the 10-pin, sending it crashing to the back plate causing the pin to spiral into the 7-pin knocking it over. The two groups were left in a stunned silence that lasted a full three seconds before Konoha and Kuroo started cheering.

“Holy shit dude!” Kuroo yelled running over to Keiji.

“That was amazing! Did someone get that on camera?” Konoha ran over as well.

They started jump-hugging Keiji in excitement.

“Was it really _that_ amazing?” Keiji gave a modest smile.

“Dude, did you not hear me when I said it was the _toughest_ spare to pick up?” Kuroo practically had Keiji in a head lock.

“I did, but Kuroo-san – ” Keiji thought he might choke.

“Yo Bokuto, can we get extra points for that?” Konoha asked.

“For that kind of style? Definitely. But hey, when I’m up to bowl you better watch carefully. You might learn something,” Bokuto stood up, throwing wink in Keiji’s direction and swaggered over to grab his ball.

Keiji’s face burned, and once he was free from his friends’ grasp he walked back to his seat.

“Is he always like that?” Keiji asked Yaku.

“Yeah, Kuroo can be a little hands-on,” Yaku quipped.

“No not Kuroo-san; Bokuto-san,” Keiji clarified.

“You mean, does he always strut around like a peacock?” Yaku bantered.

“Yes,” Keiji nodded.

“Then, yes, a very owlish peacock,” Yaku laughed to himself.

Before Keiji could reply, he heard the crash of pins and a shout, “Hey! Hey! Hey!” right before a grown man came bounding up to Keiji, “Did you see that Akaashi? Didja? Didja?” Bokuto practically vibrated as he waited for a response.

“Yes, Bokuto-san,” Keiji lied.

The man visibly deflated and sulked back to his seat mumbling, “You didn’t see,”

Keiji looked from Bokuto, to Yaku, to Kuroo, to Konoha with an expression of pure shock.

 _What the hell?_ He mouth.

Konoha walked over to Keiji, “So Bokuto has these mood swings, right now he’s in dejected-mode,”

“You don’t say,” Keiji made a mental note to remember the mood swings, “Is there any way to fix it?”

“The best way is to cheer him on, make him feel cool; right now Kuroo is trying to raise his mood,” Konoha pointed out.

“This may take a while, I’m gonna go buy some snacks,” Yaku sighed, getting up.

“I’ll come with you, Yaku-san,” Lev jumped up to follow him.

Keiji watched the two walk away and shook his head. He stood up and started to walk over to Bokuto. 

“Uh Akaashi…?” Konoha questioned.

“I caused this, so I’ll fix it,” Keiji responded, “Kuroo-san, it’s your turn to bowl correct? I’ll take care of Bokuto-san,”

“Huh? Are you sure Akaashi?” Kuroo hesitated.

“Yes,”

Kuroo stood up, from his seat on the floor, glanced back at Bokuto, and went to grab his ball.

Keiji wasn’t a prissy person, but he didn’t want to sit on the floor. Besides, Keiji needed a sure-fire way to cheer Bokuto up. Keiji only knew one way.

He sat on Bokuto’s lap. 

Bokuto slightly stiffened. Keiji glanced over the scoreboard before looking at Bokuto, “You are an exceptional bowler, Bokuto-san,” Bokuto perked up, “Can you help me improve?”

A huge flirtatious grin adorned Bokuto’s features.

“Sure, although from what I saw earlier either you have great aim or are incredibly lucky,” Bokuto flirted.

“I would lean towards aim,” Keiji retorted.

“Really? I would say luck,” Bokuto counter.

“And why is that Bokuto-san?” Keiji asked.

“Because – ” a crash and shout interrupted Bokuto.

“Yoooooooooo, that’s a turkey,” Kuroo whooped, “Pucker up Bo,” Kuroo laughed as he walked over to Bokuto and Keiji.

“Excuse me?” Keiji looked at Bokuto.

“It’s a tradition that if a person gets three strikes in a row, they get to kiss the score keeper,” Bokuto explained.

“I see, so Kuroo-san is going to kiss you,” Keiji asked.

“Personally, I would rather kiss someone else,” Bokuto winked.

Keiji turned away, his face becoming red. He then quickly pulled out his keys and held up the owl on his key-ring to Kuroo.

“What’s this?” Kuroo examined the owl.

“If you must kiss something sitting by the scoreboard, this should suffice,” Keiji clarified.

Kuroo chuckled, “Fine, fine,” He kissed the owl, “Just don’t tell Kenma I cheated on him with an owl,”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Keiji smirked.

“Alright; Yaku – ” Kuroo looked around, “Where is Yaku?”

“He went to get snacks with Lev earlier, I’ll go find them,” Konoha left.

Keiji was about to stand up, when he felt a hand on his waist, “Bokuto-san?”

“You looked pretty comfortable sitting here, so maybe you could stay?” Bokuto gave a sheepish smile.

“Since you asked,” Keiji decided to sit back down.

“So, you like owls?” Bokuto asked.

“Yes, they are my favorite animal,” Keiji replied.

Bokuto’s eyes widened, “Mine too!”

Keiji smiled before grabbing the pencil and an extra piece of paper.

“Huh, what are you doing?” Bokuto tried to look over Keiji’s shoulder.

Keiji set the pencil down and handed the paper to Bokuto, “My phone number,”

“Hoot,” Bokuto’s face became red.

“What was that?” Keiji thought he misheard the other man.

“I said thank you,” Bokuto corrected himself.

“I’m free for breakfast most days,” Keiji’s smile blossomed.

“Hey guys, I found Yaku and Lev making out in the bathroom!”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. 

The next few weeks seemed like a dream. A month ago, if Keiji had been asked if he believed in soulmates (s _owl_ mates, he would say), he would have denied something so silly as a pure fairytale; but now he feels like he is living in a fairytale. A cute, fluffy fairytale. Bokuto was a fun loving, funny, adventurous, and all around a fantastic person. There were only two problems: Bokuto’s mood swings – which Keiji was slowly learning to deal and combat with – and Keiji had yet to be invited to Bokuto’s apartment. Not that Keiji particularly minded, but the two always ended up at Keiji’s place. Bokuto also never stayed the night. Again, not that Keiji minded but it just seemed strange to him. Okay, maybe there were three problems.

“Bokuto-san, do you think that we could continue this at my place?” Keiji asked after an amusing lunch conversation.

“I would love too,” Bokuto wrapped his arm around Keiji’s waist.

“And maybe, you could stay for dessert?” Keiji asked bluntly.

“Akaashi! Are you trying to kill me?” Bokuto squealed.

“That was not my intention, Bokuto-san,” Keiji gave a usual straight-face reply.

“Wha–? Akaashi it’s an expression; don’t actually kill me!” Bokuto blanched.

Keiji gave a soft laugh; yet another thing to add to the _Bokuto Love List_. 

Bokuto glanced at his watch and quickly turned to Keiji, “Akaashi, I think I’m gonna have to rain-check our dessert date,”

“I see, is it possible for us to meet up later today?” Keiji genuinely felt sad at the idea of Bokuto leaving.

“I’m not sure,” Bokuto pouted, “I feel bad for cutting our dates short,” he began to fall into a dejected-mode.

“Ah, no Bokuto-san, please don’t feel upset, when are you free next?” Keiji grabbed the other man’s hands, “We could spend the whole day together,”

“Great idea Akaashi!” Bokuto shouted, “We could go on a road trip and spend the whole weekend together!”

“Are you sure?” Keiji was sure his eyes began to sparkle.

“Yeah! It will be great, we could go to a hot springs or a bed and breakfast,” Bokuto began to vibrate with excitement.

“I like the idea of that, I don’t work on the weekends so if you’re free this weekend….” Keiji trailed off.

“Yes!” Bokuto exclaimed without a pause.

“Then it’s a date,” Keiji lifted his up his left pinky.

Bokuto linked his pinky with Keiji’s, “It’s a date,”

The week passed quicker than Keiji thought. He originally made plans with Bokuto on Wednesday afternoon, and now it was Friday evening. _What should I pack? What do I need?_ Keiji ran around his apartment like a madman trying to pack anything and everything. This was going to be his first trip with Bokuto, and Keiji wanted everything to be perfect. Keiji had sent a quick text to Bokuto asking if there was anything he needed to bring (‘ _Owl I need is your smile’_ ). But he still wanted to be prepared, if not overly prepared. After another 45 minutes of packing and repacking, Keiji laid back on his bed sighing with content. _There, perfect._ Keiji rolled over and crawled up his bed to get settled in; he wasn’t exactly tired at the moment, it was hard to be considering how excited he is, but he did need to try to sleep. What was truly surprising to Keiji, was how he was able to fall asleep relatively quickly.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Look at that!” Bokuto jumped at the sight of the cozy inn he and Keiji would be staying in; Bokuto had chosen a secluded town in the mountains for their weekend getaway.

“It’s quiet beautiful, is that why you chose to come to this specific inn?” Keiji asked, walking up next to Bokuto.

“I’ve heard good things about it from Kuroo,” Bokuto looked almost bashful.

“I trust his recommendation; how long have you and Kuroo-san known each other, if you don’t mind me asking,” Keiji gently linked his pinky with Bokuto’s.

“Oh man, we go way back! I’m the one that helped him confess to Kenma,” Bokuto chuckled.

“Really? What did you do?” Keiji asked as they walked up the sidewalk to the entrance.

“I don’t want to spoil it for you, because I know Kuroo loves to tell it, but basically we created a video game and once Kenma won the ending screen said ‘ _Will you go out with me?_ ’,” Bokuto paraphrased.

Keiji’s eyebrows went so far up his head he was sure that they would fly off, “That’s…incredible,”

“Yeah it took a long time to set up, neither of us are computer savvy and the game kept glitching; I honestly thought it would never get finished,” Bokuto sighed at the memory.

“But you obviously got it to work right?” Keiji asked, trying to prevent Bokuto from falling into a dejected mood.

“Kind of, it was still super glitchy, so we asked Kenma to beta-test it,” Bokuto looked at Keiji, “Kenma knew something was up, but he was completely surprised when it turned out to be a confession,”

“I bet,” Keiji chuckled, “That’s very sweet of you to help Kuroo like that Bokuto-san,” _God he’s perfect,_ Keiji would squeal with joy if he wasn’t in public and right in front Bokuto himself.

As the duo walked into the inn, Bokuto unhooked his pinky with Keiji’s and walked up to the front desk, “Hello, I have a room reservation under Bokuto,”

“Good afternoon Bokuto-san, let me just pull up your account,” the woman behind the desk smiled, “Ah there we are: one night two days and with two queen beds, does that sound correct?”

“Yep!” Bokuto answered cheerfully.

“Okay, here is your room key, your room number is 201 The Sakura Room,” the woman handed Bokuto a key, “And your check-out time is 11 am,”

“Thank you,” Bokuto grabbed the key and made his way over to Keiji, “Our room is on the second floor Akaashi,” Bokuto lead the two up the stairs.

“Bokuto-san, if I may ask, why _two_ beds,” Keiji questioned.

“Ah right, that,” Bokuto’s voice took on a somber tone, “Our group of friends is pretty open-minded, but not everyone is like that,”

 _Oh,_ there are times when Keiji forgot how prejudiced people could be because of his sexuality, since he was surrounded by loving people, but it was always a shock to him how hateful some people could be.

“We could also push the beds together and create a super bed,” As if they switched roles, Bokuto tried to keep Keiji from feeling upset.

Keiji gave a soft smile, “I appreciate your concern, Bokuto-san,”

“You can always rely on me Akaashi!” Bokuto proclaimed as he unlocked the door to their room.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Keiji sat down on a chair on the balcony with a soft sigh; he clutched his steaming cup of tea as he looked up at the stars. He had officially spent the whole day with Bokuto and he was about to spend the night with him as well. Today had been are large list of firsts for Keiji and never had he been so excited to continue growing said list. Keiji’s fairytale-love-fantasy only increased throughout the day; he felt like a prince and Bokuto was his knight, and together they were hidden in the mountains able to live freely away from any prying eyes. _So this is the love that was spoken about in Romeo and Juilet,_ Keiji compared, but without all the dying, and angry families, and written in a language that Keiji understood. A few moments later Bokuto sat in the chair next to Keiji, clutching his own cup as well, “Hey Akaashi, how many constellations do you see?”

“Um well, that super shiny star is the North Star, and it is a part of the Big Dipper,” Keiji pointed.

“Mmm hmm, okay, and do you see the small cluster of stars to the left of the North Star?” Bokuto questioned.

“Ah…yes,” Keiji answered, squinting at the stars above.

“Okay, so take the one on the far right,” Bokuto pointed, “And if you connect it with this one,” Bokuto drew an imaginary image with his finger, “You get the…” he paused for dramatic effect. 

“The?” Keiji implored.

“The Great Horned Owl constellation!” Bokuto declared with confidence.

“Di-did you make that up?” Keiji blanched.

“If I said no, would you believe me?” Bokuto grinned.

“I’m not sure I believe you either way, Bokuto-san,” Keiji answered honestly.

“Gah! Akaashi, why do you have to play with my feelings like this,” Bokuto leaned back in his chair, almost spilling his drink.

“That was not my intention, Bokuto-san,” Keiji smiled tenderly, “I think I’m getting too cold; I’m going inside to sit by the fireplace, will you join me?” Keiji stood up.

Bokuto’s face went red, “Hoot,” he whispered.

Keiji paused before replying with a calm, “Hoot,”

Bokuto’s face got even redder, “Ahh Akaashi!” He yelled, “You really will be the death of me,” Before following Keiji inside.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After their romantic weekend away, Keiji and Bokuto fell back into their usual routine: occasionally eating lunch in the next town over, and hanging out at Keiji’s apartment in the late mornings a few times a week. Keiji hated going back to their same-old-same-old, so he came up with a plan. Search for more places to vacation at with Bokuto. Probably the most foolproof plan he’s ever had. He was intensely searching when his phone broke his concentration.

_Unknown Number_

“Hello, Akaashi Keiji speaking,” Keiji answered.

“Yo Akaashi, it’s Kuroo Testurou from the bowling game a few months ago,” The voice on the other line replied, “Konoha gave me your number,”

“Hello Kuroo-san, what can I help you with,” Keiji relaxed.

“I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” Kuroo asked.

“I can try to help you with what I can,” Keiji answered truthfully.

“Great!” Kuroo exclaimed, “You see Bokuto went on a trip a few weeks ago and he won’t post the photos on his Facebook, so I was wondering if you could-”

“Bokuto-san doesn’t have a Facebook profile, Kuroo-san,” Keiji interrupted.

“What? Yes he does,” Kuroo rebutted.

“I…that’s a weird thing to lie about….” Keiji whispered to himself.

If Kuroo heard Keiji’s mumbles, he didn’t mention it, “Well anyway, he went on this trip with Chiharu to this place in the mountains that I told him about and-”

“Chiharu?” Keiji cut Kuroo off again.

“Yeah his girlfriend,” Kuroo answered.

“Bokuto-san has a girlfriend?” The words felt completely foreign coming out of Keiji’s mouth. 

“Yep, they have been dating for years, I think they started going out in high school, I know they have lived together for like 3 years now,” Kuroo rambled, “But anyway, I was hoping you could convince Bokuto to post the photos, he said he won’t because Chiharu is super mad at him for some reason and he doesn’t want to piss her off….”

Keiji stopped listening: he was numb, he was confused, and he was heartbroken. All of the problems Keiji had with Bokuto started to make sense. He couldn’t stay the night because it would be suspicious to his girlfriend, he couldn’t invite Keiji over because then this girlfriend would find out about Keiji. Bokuto lied about having a social media account because he didn’t want Keiji to find out about his girlfriend. It was all becoming clear and Keiji hated it. 

“Hey uh Akaashi, you still there?” Kuroo’s voice brought Keiji back to reality – soul crushing reality.

“I, yes, I am still here Kuroo-san,” Keiji spoke automatically.

“Great! So, do you think you can help me?” Kuroo asked once again.

“I will do what I can,” Keiji gave an empty reply, “Goodbye Kuroo-san,” he hung up the phone and quickly opened a new tab on his computer.

Facebook.com… Bokuto Koutarou… _He does have an account,_ Keiji was unsure if he wanted to cry, throw a chair, or both. As he was looking at the profile, Keiji saw that the profile picture was of Bokuto and a beautiful woman (Chiharu, Keiji assumed) cuddled next to each other smiling. Keiji looked at picture after picture, post after post and all of his worst fears were brought to life. All the photos with the two of them were stereotypical couple poses; any posts that they both were tagged in were filled with heart and kissing emojis. It seems that Bokuto really did have a girlfriend, and Keiji was the other man. _Does she know? She can’t possibly know; if she did, she wouldn’t still be ‘Facebook Official’,_ Keiji knew his reasoning was ridiculous, but he hoped it was true. 

As he was looking through Bokuto’s profile, he saw that Bokuto had his address was listed. _He really shouldn’t post that type of information, maybe I should tell him to – wait no! He’s a jerk, he doesn’t deserve good advice,_ Keiji shook his head. This also meant that Keiji was going to have to confront Bokuto. He hoped Chiharu really didn’t know anything about Bokuto’s adultery, since he needed to talk to Bokuto today. Keiji wrote down the address, slipped on his running shoes, and left his house feeling unsure.

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Keiji looked at the door, and then back down at the piece of paper in his hand.

Apartment 1208

He was at the right place, _But what if I’m not? What if this is some elderly couple’s apartment and they just want to enjoy dinner together?_ Keiji double-guessed himself, jumping from one foot to another. Very rarely was he ever this anxious, especially when it concerned a person, but Bokuto was no ordinary person. Before he could run away, Keiji rapidly knocked on the door. He didn’t have to wait long before the door opened.

Keiji was face-to-face with the woman from the photos. If he was being honest, the pictures didn’t do her justice. Yes she was beautiful in the photos, but in person she could make a person stop eating just by walking by, “Yes?” She asked, her eyes slightly narrowing at the sight of Keiji (or at least, that’s what his new onslaught of anxiety let him think).

“Hello, I am a friend of Bokuto Koutarou, is he here?” Keiji didn’t tell an exact lie.

“Yes,” She gave a clipped answer, “He’s in the spare room,” She moved aside allowing Keiji inside. 

_Maybe she doesn’t know who I am,_ Keiji let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Thanking her he went to the only room in the apartment that had the door closed. He knocked before opening the door and allowing himself inside.

“Akaashi?!” Bokuto jumped at the sight of Keiji.

Keiji closed the door before answering, “Bokuto-san,”

They silently stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, it wasn’t until the sound of a door slamming, signaling that Chiharu had left, did Keiji speak.

“I know you have been lying to me, about…everything,” Keiji couldn’t bring himself to look at Bokuto.

“Akaashi, I-I’m sorry,” Bokuto looked down at his feet, ashamed.

“Just tell me…why?” Keiji tried his hardest to keep a steady tone, “Why would you lie? Why would you even accept my advances if you were dating someone?”

Bokuto seemed to not have an answer as he continued to stare at his feet.

“All I wanted was an explanation, but I guess you don’t even think I deserve that,” If Keiji stood there any longer, staring at Bokuto’s somber expression, he knew he would forgive Bokuto in half a second.

Without waiting for an answer Keiji left the room. Chiharu was nowhere to be seen, meaning that Keiji’s earlier assumption about her leaving was correct. As Keiji walked to the front door he came face-to-face with another one of his assumptions; one that he was wrong about. Hanging on the door hanger was one of Bokuto’s white t-shirts and written on it in big black lettering was: **WHORE**.

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Keiji laid back on his couch watching the into scene to _Heavenly Forest_ ; it had been almost a month since he learned the truth about Bokuto, and Keiji still refused to leave his apartment (aside from when he had to go to work, but even his co-workers knew that Keiji was struggling with something). He had done nothing but watch rom-coms, and pretend that the world was the beautiful place that he was made to believe as a child. Keiji’s cellphone rang, but he ignored it, _it’s probably Bokuto again,_ Keiji thought turning up the sound on his television. The phone sent the caller to voicemail and Keiji continued to watch his film. Until the phone rang again…and again…and again. By the fifth time, Keiji decided to tell the caller to leave him alone.

_Call from Konoha Akinori_

“Konoha-san, please stop calling me,” Keiji reprimanded his friend in lieu of greeting him.

“Hello to you too,” Konoha replied in a sassy tone, “Akaashi, I know you’re watching rom-coms in your pajamas right now,”

“Yes and?” Keiji didn’t see the point denying it.

“And I need you open the door, because I’m sure you haven’t seen the sun in over a week,” Konoha urged.

“You’re here?” Keiji questioned.

_Knock knock_

“Unlock the door please,” Konoha’s reply came shortly after the knocks.

Keiji hung up the phone, muttering about _déjà vu_ , as he made his way over to the door. 

Keiji open the door to find Bokuto Koutarou standing on his porch looking incredibly nervous; looking past Bokuto, Keiji could see Konoha’s car with Konoha leaning back to hide himself from Keiji’s view.

“Akaa – ” Keiji cut off Bokuto by slamming the door in his face, or he would have slammed the door if Bokuto didn’t hold the door open, _Damn those muscular arms._

“Get off of my porch,” Keiji glared.

“Please let me apologize and explain,” Bokuto gave Keiji puppy-dog eyes.

“No, I think I know the answers,” Keiji tried to resist Bokuto’s begging.

“Akaashi, please you deserve to know why,” Bokuto parroted Keiji’s pleas from a month prior.

With a sigh, Keiji surrendered and allowed Bokuto to enter his home.

“Thank you, thank you,” Bokuto repeated as he came inside, “…Are those owl slippers?” Bokuto distracted himself by Keiji’s choice of footwear.

 _Damn you Konoha, damn you Bokuto, and damn you déjà vu,_ Keiji ignored Bokuto’s question.

“You have five minutes before I report you,” Keiji crossed his arms.

Bokuto jolted at the threat and began to explain everything – from the beginning.

Bokuto and Chiharu had met in high school; they both were a part of the volleyball club, Bokuto quickly became the team’s star player and Chiharu was the manager. They started dating their 3rd year of high school, and when they graduated, they both went to the same local college. All their friends were envious of their relationship; it appeared that it was perfect. And it didn’t take long for them to move in together; however, as the years went on, they became less and less like a couple and more like roommates who avoided each other.

“And so, when you sat down on my lap and gave me your number, I was just in awe,” Bokuto continued.

Bokuto knew he couldn’t be seen dating someone that wasn’t Chiharu, so all of his dates with Keiji had to be in private or in a different town. Bokuto knew he was cheating and lying to Keiji and Chiharu, but something about Keiji kept him mesmerized. When Keiji suggested going away for the weekend, Bokuto knew that was his chance to really see if there was a future with Keiji. But he knew that he couldn’t just up and disappear for two days, so he told Chiharu that he would be hanging out with Kuroo in the mountains and he told Kuroo that he would be spending the weekend with Chiharu. His plan was perfect, terrible, but perfect; until a co-worker of Chiharu saw Bokuto and Keiji at the inn in the mountains. Bokuto could never remember who Chiharu worked with so he didn’t recognize her, but she definitely recognized him. Apparently, that following Monday the coworker asked Chiharu about and it didn’t take long for Chiharu to learn that the man Bokuto was seen with wasn’t Kuroo. After that, Chiharu tried to get information from Bokuto, only for him to deny what the co-worker said; eventually she recruited a friend of hers to ask Kuroo for information. Kuroo, being the kind person he is, told the friend what he believed to be the truth. The friend asked if there were any photos as she wanted to see them and Chiharu ‘refused to post them’. Kuroo said he get Bokuto to post them. 

“Obviously I couldn’t post any of the photos, because then everyone would know about my lie,”

At that point, Bokuto knew that his relationship with Chiharu was over. She screamed at him as she packed her belongings; yelling awful words at him, making him feel even worse. She wanted to expose Bokuto and Keiji for the ‘disgusting’ people they were, but Bokuto refused; making it very clear that he would release every skeleton in her closet if she dared. That was the same day Keiji visited Bokuto at his apartment.

“I saw the shirt…I…I’m sorry that you had to even see that,” Bokuto looked Keiji in the eye, “That word doesn’t define who you are, you are so much more amazing and kind and wonderful, and you deserve to be happy for the rest of your life,”

The following month had been a Hell of its own. Bokuto had found himself sleeping on Kuroo and Kenma’s couch, after apologizing for lying to them, and every waking moment Keiji was the only thing Bokuto could think about; going so far as to haunt his dreams. Kenma finally decided that he had enough of dealing with a depressed owl on his couch. He called Konoha and asked him to help Bokuto reunite with Keiji. Even if they didn’t talk again, they needed some form of closure.

“Akaashi, I know you’re mad at me and you have every right to be, but I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since we met, you’re the only thing I think about. I think I am in love with you. And if you never want to see me again, I’ll respect that, but please I don’t know what I would be able to do if I couldn’t see you one more time and at least ask for your forgiveness. Akaashi, I am sorry that I lied to you and that I allowed other people to hurt you, please consider forgiving me,” 

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_Smash_

“Yes!” Kuroo cheered, “I am the bowling king!” Kuroo had bowled his second strike of the night.

Lev high fived Kuroo as he passed, “Kuroo-san, you look so cool when you bowl,”

“Complements will get you nowhere kid,” Kuroo chuckled as Lev walked past him.

“Hey Lev, get a strike and I’ll buy you dinner,” Yaku called from his seat.

“Really?” Lev’s eyes sparkled like emeralds, “Wait, what happens if I don’t get a strike?”

“Then you’ll starve,” Yaku shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yaku-san!” Lev cried.

“Lev, it’s time for you to bowl,” Keiji interrupted.

“Right! Sorry Akaashi-san,” Lev ran up to the lane.

“Hey hey hey Akaashi!” Bokuto shifted in his seat, causing Akaashi to move slightly, “If I bowl a strike next time, will you buy me dinner?”

Keiji turned around to face Bokuto, “I suppose, but if I pick up a super rare spare _you_ have to buy _me_ dinner,” Keiji held up his pinky.

Bokuto linked his pinky “Deal,”


End file.
